Slub catcher and yarn cleaner



L. B. HASBROUCK SLUB CATCHER AND YARN CLEANER Filed Oct. 30, 1923 Dec-15', 1 25. v 1.5653851 1 J6 mllllll 0 0 1| J5 ATTORNEY worsted yarn.

Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS B. HASBROUCK, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK, AEJSIGNOR TO ECLIPSE TEXTILEDE- VICES, ING, F ELMIRA HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SLUB CATGI-IER AND YARN CLEANER.

Application filed October 30, 1923. Serial No. 671,?45.

To-aZZ whom may concern:

*Be it known that I, LOUIS B. HASBROUCK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Slub Catchers and YarnCleaners, fully described and represented in the following specificationand the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to a slub catcher and yarn cleaner, andaims toprovide a means for eliminating slubs or bunches from soft, long, fiberyarn, such as worsted yarn.

lVhile the device which I have invented is particularly adapted for usein connection with worsted yarn, it may also be used in connection withother yarns and may serve to clean yarn as well as to eliminate slubstherefrom.

A slub catcher of the type used on cotton yarns and consisting usuallyof a pair of transverse blades between which the yarn is drawn, isinoperative when applied to worsted yarn. This arises from the fact thatthe fiber of worsted yarn is much softer and much longer than that ofcotton yarn.v It has been found that when a worsted yarn is drawnthrough an ordinary slub catcher, the long fibers scraped from the yarnby the blades form a ring about the yarn in front of the blades whichsoon becomes reattached to .the yarn, forming a bunch which is drawnagainst the blades and causes the yarn to break. This action of worstedyarns in ordinary slub catchers is known as balling up, and hasprecluded the use of such slub catchers in: connection with A furtherdifliculty arises from the fact that worsted yarns are frequentlyknotted, and that if the blades of the slub catcher are set closelyenough together to break the yarn when a slub is drawn against them, theyarn is also broken whenever a knot encounters the blades. This is adisadvantage, since it necessitates retying all the knots in the yarn.

I have discovered that if a worsted yarn is drawn through a hole or eye,one wall of which consists of a flat surface along which the yarn isdrawn, balling up of the yarn in front of the eye is eliminated, becausethe fiat surface positively prevents any fibers which may be scrapedfrom the yarn from passing completely around the yarn to form a ring. Ihave discovered also that if a worsted yarn is passed between a flatsurface and the edges of a plurality of blades mounted so that they maybe moved away from the flat surface, knots on the yarn will pass throughwithout breakage of the yarn, while the presence of a slub on the yarnwill cause it to break.

By combining these two principles which I have discovered. I haveproduced what I believe to be the first successful slub catching devicefor use with worsted yarn. The nature and advantages of the inventionmay best be understood by a detailed description of the specific deviceembodying the invention which is shown in the accompanying drawings inwhich Fig. 1 is a top view of the device, includ ing a phantom view ofthe cover;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. lis a fragmentary top view showing one of the blades;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view sectioned 011 the line o5 of Fig. 3,and showing the action of one of the blades in breaking the yarn when aslub is drawn against it; and

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation of one of the blades.

The device illustrated has a frame 10 con1 prising a flat vertical plate11, front and rear end members 12 and 13 projecting inwardly from theplate 11, a side bar 1-l ad justably secured to the end members, and asupport 15 projecting outwardly from the plate 11. The support 15 may beprovided with a clip 1'7 by means of which it may be attached to a bar18. A yarn guide and tension device is attached to the front end member12 and a rear guide 21 is attached to the rear end member 13. The frontand rear end members 12 and 13 have recesses 92, 23 formed in theirupper edges immediately adjacent to the plate 11. When the device is inoperation, a yarn A is drawn through the thread guide and tension device20, through the recesses 22 and :28, and out under the rear guide 21.The yarn is thus drawn along the flat inner surface of the plate 11.

On the side bar 1% are mounted a plurality of transverse blades whichcooperate with the surface 2 1 of the plate 11 to form eyes throughwhich the yarn is drawn. Three such blades 30, 30 are shown in thedrawings. As they are all alike, a description of one of them willsutlice. The blade 30 is held with its upper edge substantiallyperpendicular to the plate 11 by a support 232 formed integral with theblade, extending perpendicularly to the upper edge of the blade, andpivotally mounted on a pin projecting upward from the short arm 34;extending inwardly from the side bar 1+1. The blade 30 may be inclineddownwardly and rearwardly as shown. The operating edge 35 of the blade30, that is, the edge which is opposed to the surface 2- is sharpened bygrinding the rear surface of the blade at 36. In the operative edge 35of the blade is a notch 37 which is of sutiicient size to permit treepassage of the yarn with which the device is ordinarily used. This notchis located at the level of the bottoms of the recesses 22 and 23 andco-operates with the surface 2% of the plate 11 to form an eye throughwhich the yarn may be drawn. The upper portion of the operative edge 35above the notch 37 is rounded off at 38 to facilitate threading of thedevice.

The operative edge 35 of the blade 30 is urged toward the surface 21 ofthe plate 11, by means of a compression spring 10 surrounding a post tion the inner side of the bar 14, and reacting between the bar ll and acollar 42 whose outer end is in engagement with the support The sup port32 contains a recess 43 surrouiuiling a neck at on the post i1. Outwardmovement of the blade 30, i. e., movement of its operative edge awayfrom the surl'a e 24:, is limited by engagement of the support 35 with ashoulder 45 on post ll, while inward movement of the blade under thepressure of the spring 40 is limited by a shoulder 57 on the post ell.

The device is adjustable so that it may be used with yarns of differentsizes. For this purpose the outer portion of the front end member 12 isinclined outwardly at a small angle to the surface Ql and the outerportion 51 of the rear end member 13 is parallel to the portion 50, butis placed slightly nearer the plate 11. The bar l t has at its front enda portion 52 which is bent outwardly so as to make the same angle withthe bar as the portion 50 makes with the surface 2i. At its rear end,the bar 1-ihas a portion which is bent inwardly at the same angle to thebar as that at which the portion is bent outward. The portions 52 and 53of the bar 30 are attached to the portions 50 and 51 oi the end membersin such manner that the bar may be adjusted longitudinally. This may beaccomplished by securing the bar by means or screws 55, which passthrough longitudinal slots 56 in the end portions 52 and 53 of the bar.Adjustment of the bar 30 toward the rear of the device brings it nearerthe plate 11, while adjustment of it toward the front of the devicebrings it further from the frame 10. In all positions of the bar,however, it remains parallel to the plate 11 so that the edges of theblades are always at a uniform distance from the surface 24.

The device is provided with a removable cover (30 which may be securedto the bar 14 by means of a nut (31 engaging a depending flange (52formed at the outer edge of the cover. The inner edge 64: ot the coveris spaced from the surface 2% of the plate.

11, so as to provide a slot extending between the recesses and 2:3.

The operation of the device in removing slubs from worsted yarn is asfollows:

The device is first adjusted, by moving the side bar 1st for ardly orrearwardly, in ac cordance with the size of the yarn which is to bedrawn through it. The adjustment is such that the operative edges of theblades 30, 30, 30 are normally spaced from the surface 2st by a distanceless than the diameter of the yarn to be used.

The device is threaded by passing a yarn A through the yarn guide andtension device 20, dropping it into the recesses 22 and 9 3 and the slot(35, and drawing it under the rear guide 21.. As soonv as a pull isapplied to the yarn it moves each of the blades 30, 30, 3O outwardlyagainst the tension of its spring 40 to such extent that the yarn isimmediately drawn down into the notches 37 of all the blades. It is thencontinuously drawn forward, passing through the holes or eyes which areformed by the notches 37 and the surface 24; oi? the plate 11. Thesurface 24 prevents any tibcr which may be scraped from the yarn lrompassing around the yarn and forming rings. The inclination of the bladestends to direct any such fiber downwardly so that it falls from thebottom of the device and does not interfere with the. travel of theyarn.

hen a knot 15 is drawn through the device it raises each blade slightlyagainst the force ol ;i ts spring 40 so that the knot may pass by-theblades in succession without retarding the travel ot the yarn or causingthe yarn to break.

lVhen a slub or bunch (l on the yarn is drawn into the device, the yarnis broken. even though the diameter oi the slub be no greater than thatol the knot 13. This is due in part to the fact that the slubs C aresoft and tend to bunch up in lront of a blade, causing the yarn tobreak, as indi cated in Fig. 5. It a slub succeeds in rais ing the firstblade 30 sutiiciently to pass by 1t without breaking the yarn, the slubis torn as it passes between the sharp operathe edge 35 of the blade andthe surface 2%, so that it is more ragged and of larger diameter when itencounters the second blade 30. If it does not bunch up in front of thesecond blade 30 so as to break the yarn, it is further torn and bulgedby this blade, so that the yarn is broken when it encounters the thirdblade It is important, therefore, that a plurality of blades be used. Agreater number of blades than is shown in the drawings may be used, butI have found that with ordinary worsted yarn, the use of three bladesinsures the breakage of the yarn when a slub is drawn into the device.

"While the device is thus an effective means for eliminating slubs fromworsted yarns, it may also be used to clean both cotton and worstedyarns. I wish it clearly understood, therefore, that my invention is byno means limited to the particular use of the device which has beendescribed. nor to the particular form and arrangement of the partsillustrated.

Certain features of the device illustrated and described in thisapplication form a part of the subject matter of my co-pendingapplications Serial No. 582,384, filed August 17, 1922, and Serial No.671,7ei6 filed October so, 1923.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A device of the class described comprising means providing a flatsurface along which a yarn is drawn, a plurality of blades transverse tosaid flat surface and having edges opposed thereto, a mounting for eachblade permitting its edge to move toward and away from said flatsurface, and a separate spring arranged to urge each blade toward theflat surface.

2. A device of the class described, comprising means providing a flatsurface along which the yarn is drawn, a plurality of blades transverseto said flat surface and having edges opposed thereto, a mounting foreach blade permitting its edge to move toward and away from said flatsurface, means for limiting outward movement of the blades, and meanstending to urge the blades toward the fiat surface.

3. A device of the class described, comprising means providing a flatsurface along which a yarn is drawn, a plurality of blades transverse tosaid flat surface and having edges opposed thereto, a mounting for eachblade permitting its edge to move toward and away from said flatsurface, means for limiting such movement of the blade in eachdirection, and means tending to urge the blades toward the flat surface.

a. A device of the class described, comprising means providing a fiatsurface along which a yarn is drawn, a plurality of blades transverse tosaid flat surface and having edges opposed thereto, a mounting for eachblade permitting its edge to move toward and away from said fiatsurface, means for limiting such movement of the blade in eachdirection, a separate spring tending to urge each blade toward the flatsurface, and means for adjustably varying the distance between themountings of the blades and the flat surface.

5. A device of the class described, comprising means providing a Hatsurface along which a yarn is drawn, a plurality of blades transverse tosaid flat surface and having edges opposed thereto and aligned notchesin said edges, a mounting for each blade permitting its edge to movetoward and away from said flat surface, means for limiting such movementof the blade in each direc tion, means tending to urge each blade towardthe flat surface, and means for adjustably varying the distance betweenthe mountings of the blades and the fiat surface.

(5. A yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn,comprising means providing a flat surface along which the yarn is drawn,and a plurality of transverse blades having operative edges opposed tosaid flat surface and spaced therefrom by a distance less than thediameter of the yarn, said edges being provided with aligned notchespartially surrounding the yarn.

7. A yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn,comprising means providing a flat surface along which the yarn is drawn,a plurality of transverse blades having operative edges opposed to saidflat surface and spaced therefrom by a distance less than the diameterof the yarn, said edges being provided with aligned notches partiallysurrounding the yarn, and yieldable mountings for said blades permittingthem to move outwardly from the flat surface so that the yarn may bedrawn into said notches in the threading of the device.

8. In a device of the class described, means providing an eye throughwhich a yarn is drawn, said eye having one wall consisting of a flatsurface extending longitudinally of the yarn and in contact therewith.

9. A device of the class described, comprising means providing a flatsurface along. which a yarn is drawn, and a transverse blade having anedge opposed to said flat surface and a notch in said edge cooperatingwith said surface to form an eye through which the yarn is drawn.

10. A slub catching device for use with a traveling yarn, comprising aplurality of transverse blades having edges positioned to operate on theyarn in series, a separate mounting for each blade permitting its edgeto move away from the yarn in a direction substantially perpendicular tothe line of travel of the yarn, and a separate spring for each bladetending to urge its edge toward the yarn.

other outwardly, and means for securing the end portions of the movableside member against the outer surfaces of the end members Whilepermitting longitudinal adjustment thereol to vary the distance betweenthe fixed and movable side members.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LOUIS B. HASBROUCK.

